Wisconsin Department of TransportationDBE CONTRACTING UPDATE

News for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise firms and stakeholders

May 2009

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SE Freeway Milwaukee County Urban DBE Advisory Committee

To continue on the path of investing in the people of Wisconsin, WisDOT is involving the community stakeholders within Milwaukee County through a combined Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) advisory effort for the I-94 North-South Project and Zoo Interchange Study. Through this effort, community stakeholders can participate and become engaged in WisDOT's transportation process and focus on the goal of increasing DBE participation and labor opportunities for minorities and women. WisDOT developed the SE Freeways Milwaukee County Urban DBE Advisory Committee comprised of residents, community faith based organizations (CBO/FBO), elected officials, and other interested community stakeholders to review education and development of business and labor, and provide community inclusion opportunities for the mega project process.

For the past ten months, Phase I of this effort reviewed the mission and organization structure, while identifying barriers and opportunities, and key partners and resources to ensure transportation project implementation meets the needs of the community. Labor and business development presentations gave first-hand access to information from training agencies and apprenticeship programs. DBE engineering and construction firms shared their knowledge of the WisDOT transportation improvement project and CBO's provided firsthand experience on working with WisDOT within their communities. And finally, an overview of how the WisDOT bidding process culminates to employment opportunities and/or a construction project was explained.

Continuing this two way venue, WisDOT and the community will work toward a common goal of creating opportunities within the transportation industry by moving to Phase II. This phase divides into two subcommittees: labor development and business development. We will provide you with future updates as these sub committees progress.